OT : Kudos to the forum community!

[markc]

The discussion about Walt's recent blown launch at High Rock within the forums has been civil, insightful, and informative. And I cannot let that fact slide-on-by without recognition, and kudos to those who are participating!

I caught up on the thread just today... And I found some very valuable advice, and food-for-thought, for new pilots, for experienced pilots, for observers, and for wire-crew. This is exactly what our forums are intended for : To *learn* something if/when a pilot experiences an accident.

At this time of year, when everyone is hungry for air-time (and perhaps a bit overly-reactive), discussions like these have often been less than constructive....

But not this time. And we are all the better for it! Wow!!

I know that pilots often have very strong opinions about topics like these, and by all means, they should "call it like they see it" . That said, this should be done in a conversational, give-and-take way, with *questions* that are *answered* by the pilots who were actually present.

And that's exactly what we're seeing here, with input/feedback from the pilot involved, the wire-crew, the observer, and others who were flying that day.

This is excellent! Thank you!

MarkC

[Dan T]

I was impressed by the civility and constructiveness of the conversation around Walt's incident too. We've come a long way from the earlier days of flame throwing at the pilots whose singular missteps put them in an uncomfortable situation. My hat is off to all of you who contributed constructive comments and to all of you who refrained from commenting as we might have been inclined to do so in the past. I'm proud to be a member of this chapter.

Dan Tomlinson
Director USHPA
Region 9